Sober
by SamLaHavas
Summary: Now that Jane 'El' Hopper's in college, she wants things to be different. Mainly, she wants to make friends, go out more, and she wants to hook up, specifically with Mike Wheeler. Mike Wheeler isn't in the mood for a relationship, so it sounds good to him. (Chapter has been fixed!)
1. Chapter 1

Jane 'El' Ellen Hopper isn't so sure about her new roommate.

She had arrived only an hour before, but this roommate was nowhere to be found. Her side of the room had been set up before she and her father arrived, and El was trying to learn as much as she could about this mystery girl from the posters and decorations haphazardly plastered across the room. There was a lot of sports paraphernalia – a Paris Saint-Germain poster for sure, and several skateboarders, none of whom she recognized. A couple of signed alternative band posters. Her duvet was bright red, while the shelves above the bed carried multiple sports trophies and a couple of textbooks. A corkboard filled with photos featuring a fiery redhead.

A pretty stark difference from how El has decorated; A pastel colored floral duvet, a tapestry hung at the head of the bed, a ton of books sitting on the shelves from which her father was currently hanging white twinkling lights.

"Ellie, sweetheart, could you hand me that extension cord?" Her father called out, distracting her for a moment. She looked around the floor until a flash of orange caught her eye. Her father was a few feet from her, his hands busy with cords. She picked it up and handed it to him. He attached the cords together, turning on the lights.

"What's my roommate's name again?" El pondered out loud, shuffling through the welcome documents given to her earlier during check in. "Ah, here. Maxine Mayfield?"

"Cool name, cool room." Her father remarked. El grimaced. "Come on, now. Give her a shot. It's your first week of college – you talked the whole way up here about making friends."

Her father wasn't wrong. El had a lot of changes she had wanted to make in her life and the first thing on that list was make a real friend. Several, even.

She did have one friend – but being related was cheating. Will Byers was her step-brother and kindred spirit. Since she had been adopted at age seven, she and Will had been inseparable. Growing up in a small town with your father as Chief of Police had its benefits, but when that father adopted you into his already unconventional family of spacy (yet wonderful) second wife and her two mercilessly bullied sons? People talk.

El had never taken interest in making other friends. It always seemed like so much effort, with everyone teasing her and making assumptions about her background and having preconceived notions about her step-brothers' artistic hobbies. And so what if Will likes boys? El never thought there was anything wrong with Will's sexuality, but the kids at school definitely tried as hard as they could to make him feel like there was something was wrong with him.

It was just all so exhausting. It was just easier to leave it alone.

Then Jonathan, her eldest step-brother, went off to college. When El began her senior year, Will went to college too. It had never occurred to El how equally exhausting it was to be alone.

"I suppose I'm just nervous. To meet new people." Her father pulls her close.

"I know, Ellie. I'm nervous too. Can't believe my little girl is all grown up. But remember, Will's been here. He knows the school. And we're only a few hours away, so you and Will can come home on the weekends. Now, since we seem to be all set here, do you wanna with Will at his dorm?"

"Nah, dad. I think I'll stay here and look through my textbooks. I'll see Will later for dinner, anyway."

"Okay, kid. Anyone gives you trouble you tell them your pop's the Chief of Police, yeah?" El laughed as her dad scooped her up into a big bear hug. "I love you, Ellie."

And just like that, her father was gone and El Hopper was on her own. She jumped onto her bed, sitting Indian-style and just drank in everything in her new home for the year. Looking out the window, placed near her bed, she could see the Green. Parents and students lugged things across the criss-crossing sidewalks. On the opposite side of the Green, she could see the campus library. Whether she ultimately liked her roommate or not, she lucked out with her dorm. Not only did El score a window view, but her dorm was in the heart of campus, where all the action was. A rush of adrenaline shot through El's body.

El heard a slight click as the door opened. _Time to face the music,_ she thought as she turned her head towards the sound.

"Hi! I'm Max!" She almost shouted, approaching El to shake her hand. True to the photos El had looked over earlier, Max was a thin girl with fiery red hair, pulled up into a messy ponytail. She was flushed as if she had been working out, but she sported skinny jeans, a tank top, with a longboard in hand. "Sorry, I was out exploring the campus. Bit hot today."

"I'm El."

"Elle? Not Jane?" Max looked perplexed, settling herself on El's bed. She pushed the documents to the side and crossed her legs to face El. El shook it off and continued.

"No. Well, yes." El explained, already feeling overwhelmed. "Ellen's my middle name. But I like El for short."

"True. I'm not a fan of Maxine either, but Marie's worse. So, Max it is."

El had to giggle. "Maxine Marie Mayfield? That's a lot."

"I know. The alliteration is just too much. So, tell me everything. What classes are you taking? Where are you from? Do you have any friends here?"

"Well, I grew up near Chicago… " Max shook her head, listening intently. "And, um, I'm taking education classes, mainly. But I think I want to do social work. And, I don't really have any friends here. Just my step-brother."

"That's okay. I don't either. I just moved from California. I wanted something totally different. A fresh start." Max smiled at her. "Who knows? Maybe we can be friends."

"Yeah, maybe."

* * *

The small talk continued for a while. Max had made the women's soccer team and was at the university on partial scholarship. Max really liked all things active and competitive – primarily skateboarding, though she explained there aren't a lot of scholarships for that. She was also taking education classes (maybe that's why they were placed together?) but was focused on becoming a PE teacher. El wasn't sure what she had expected, but her fears started to melt away. Max was perfectly nice, spunky, and didn't seem to mind that she didn't have much to say. She was talking about her dad back in California when her stomach made a long gargling noise. They broke out in laughter.

"Okay, well, let me shower first and we can check out the dining hall, okay?" Max suggested. El agreed, and Max grabbed a towel and some clothes before hopping into the bathroom they shared.

El felt ready to go, and flipped through a textbook absentmindedly while she waited. Her cellphone began to vibrate, indicating a text message.

 **Will** :  
ELLIEEEEE come over already imy

 **Ellie:**  
After dinner? Gonna go eat with my roomie.

 **Will** :  
ugh fine. Come ready to go out doe Dustin's frat is throwing a party

She hadn't met Will's friends, but she had heard plenty about them. Will thrived at this school in the past year, and a large part of that was due to the three friends he had made; Dustin, Lucas and Mike.

Max came out of the bathroom, wringing out her hair.

"Party tonight?" El asked.

"Hell yes." Max replied, without skipping a beat.

* * *

The walk from the dining hall to Will's dorm wasn't terribly long, about 15 minutes. The sun had started to set, warming the campus with red and orange hues. El checked her phone to double-check which building it was - there were two separate ones. They were all gorgeous, coming together to create a courtyard in the middle, but she couldn't figure out which was the building. She gave up and just stood in the middle of the courtyard, dialing Will's number.

"Hey. You here?"

"Hey. I'm standing in the courtyard? I can't tell which one is which."

"Okay! I have to let you in anyway, so I'll meet you downstairs." Will explained, then hung up.

"So… this is your brother?" Max asked.

"Yeah. Well, step-brother." El explained, craning her neck to find Will. Why did all these buildings look the same? "My dad and his mom got together when we were little."

"Ellie!" She heard Will's voice behind her. She turned around to see Will waving to them from one of the entrances, foot in the door to keep it open as he stretched out behind the archway so that the girls could see him. "Come on in."

They followed him in, and he skipped up the stairs to the second floor, the girls following close behind. Leading them down the corridor, he walked up to a door marked 205 and opened the door.

"Will. This place is amazing." El breathed out, looking at him. He beamed at her and pulled her into a hug.

The place was humongous. The front door led into a large, open concept room. Directly to her left was a kitchen, with a high-top bar dividing it from the rest of the room, and a round table and chairs to her right. Just ahead, there was a living room, with a loveseat and two armchairs surrounding a coffee table; all directed towards a TV in an alcove with tall bay windows, which would light up the room beautifully if it weren't already dusk.

Two guys sat in that living room, completely invested in whatever video game they were playing. El couldn't get a good look at them, since they were facing away from them. Stretched across the loveseat was a broad-shouldered, dark-skinned guy, and on the floor with his long, long legs spread underneath the coffee table, a guy with a mop of black hair that contrasted his pale, pale skin.

"Guys, my sister and her roommate are here." Will called out. The video game quickly paused, and the two guys scrambled to get up. "So this is my sister, El, and her roommate… Max?" Will glanced back at the redhead to confirm.

"Yes, Max. This is Lucas," he gestured at the dark skinned guy. He smiled and nodded his head at the girls. Lucas was tall, and incredibly lean, his biceps bulging out from his green camo shirt. "And Mike."

Mike was… wow. If Lucas was tall, Mike was in a different category altogether. El had to crane her neck upwards to look at him properly. His curly black hair almost fell into his dark eyes, and a splay of freckles peppered his face and neck, disappearing below his V-neck.

He was just so pretty. Could men really be that pretty?

"Wait a minute, I know you." Lucas blurted out to Max. Max furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"We've literally never met."

"You're on the women's soccer team, right?"

"What are you, some kind of stalker?"

"No! I just- no." Lucas sighed, looking more regretful each moment. "I'm in ROTC, right? We PT on the soccer field. I just noticed you, is all. Because you're new." He rambled on. Mike snorted, letting out an awkward laugh.

"Dude, that's pretty stalker-ish." He said.

"Because she's new!" Lucas turned to Mike, arms gesticulating.

"I think you should stop while you're ahead." Will chuckled.

Realizing she hasn't done anything but stare at Mike for the past few minutes, she searched for something, anything, to talk about.

"So, don't you have another roommate?" She asked, wincing at her voice which ran a little high. Mike turned his head to the side.

"Dustin's coming in a bit. He's in a fraternity, so he's got God-knows-what to do with them, but then he's heading back over… Can I get you guys anything to drink?" Mike explained, walking to the refrigerator in record time.

He bent down to look into the fridge. "We got water, orange juice… and coke…." He straightened himself back up. "Yeah, that's it. We just moved in." he finished, scrunching his face a little.

"Coke sounds great." Max piped up. Mike poured the coke into small glasses and handed them to the girls, his eyes lingering on El a moment.

Max is not blind to any of this. She's only known El for maybe 4 hours now, but she can tell when someone is star-struck. She can also tell that El is a private person, so she simply links arms with the doe-eyed girl and waggles her eyebrows while taking a sip of her coke. El rolled her eyes and scoffed, but the growing blush on her face spoke the truth. Who was she kidding?

Will and Lucas join them, pouring themselves something and Will bringing out snacks for them to share. Mike shares stories about growing up with Lucas and Dustin, peppered with smart-ass retorts from Lucas. El was completely absorbed in every word he said, as he detailed that one Halloween that the three of them went to school dressed up in their costumes and realized they were the only ones to do so.

The stories were cut short as someone banged on their door.

"Hey assholes – my hands are full!" a voice called from outside.

"Oh shit that's Dustin." Lucas slid off the counter and opened the door. A stocky, curly haired boy strutted inside with bags of soda bottles in either hand. Lucas stood staring out the door, confused. "Is that a dolly?"

Dustin looked perplexed that Lucas would ask such a question. "Uh, yeah."

"A dolly? Of beer?"

"Two dollies, actually. One beer and one liquor. And chasers." Dustin lifted the bags, emphasizing them to Lucas and placed them on the counter. Lucas looked outside the door, and sure enough there was a second dolly, just out of sight. He wheeled them both in, chuckling.

"How did you even get your hands on this much beer? And into the dorm? We're underage."

"Lucas, you live with a frat star now. I got them connects." Mike and Lucas just stared at him. "Steve. Steve is my connect." He explained, exasperated with his friends. He turned to the two new people observing them from over the counter, sporting a toothy grin.

"Hi. I'm Dustin." he said to Will. "And you lovely ladies are…?"

"I'm El. Will's sister. And this is Max." El spoke. Max waved at Dustin, who waved back.

"That's awesome. So here's the game plan." Dustin began, placing his palms down. "My fraternity is having a big party tonight. So we're gonna get pumped, get drunk and party hard. Starting right now. Sound good?"

"Don't we need to be able to get to the party in the first place…?" Will inquired, seeming a little unsure.

"Rush week is over. I got pledges on speed dial. We're good." Dustin popped open a bottle of vodka and collected some shot glasses, pouring the clear alcohol into each glass. "So feel free to go crazy."

Together with her new friends, El swigged the vodka. The vodka heated up her chest, only adding to how full her heart felt.

Glancing around to all her new friends, pouring out more shots over laughter and conversation, she felt at peace. Yeah, it was going to be a great year.

Her eyes landed on Mike, as she took in his features once again. He was midway through saying something to Dustin, though El couldn't say what that was, when he looked over and caught her staring. El sucked in her breath and felt the blush return to her cheeks. El glanced away, breaking eye contact, choosing to observe her empty shot glass instead.

When El looked back up, she found his ebony eyes still gazing at her. This time, she didn't look away, and smiled softly at him. He grinned, stirring something within her.

Dustin had a good point. Maybe she should go a little crazy this year.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hi everyone! These two chapters are what I've already posted on Ao3, and I am currently working on the third chapter to hopefully be uploaded Saturday night, since I have to go out of town for work all of Friday. Enjoy, and please review and follow :) Not only does it let me know I'm doing a good job, but I really enjoy hearing what ya'll think and the more reviews, the more potential readers will give this a chance. Thanks! Enjoy.**

* * *

El was extraordinarily grateful for pledges.

She didn't entirely understand why they put themselves through what they did. Dustin explained Greek life and rushing to her over shots and cola, and she was, frankly, horrified. And a little amused – but mostly horrified.

Being the designated driver on rotation for events (which may sound reasonable, but apparently in a fraternity that means anytime there's more than 3 brothers out of class), being locked in a room blindfolded while people scream at you, cleaning the house with a toothbrush while blasting the same song on repeat for a week, missing class for pledge projects… and people paid to be treated like this.

But she wasn't going to complain since Frank, tonight's Designated Driver, was going to get her waffles.

"Listen to me, Frank. Listen to me. The Waffle House is right there. Chocolate chip ones. For the young lady, in the back. Listen. Frank. Do you see her?" Dustin slurred to the poor gangly boy sitting in the driver's seat. El tried to stifle a giggle with no luck.

Frank the Pledge tried to look serious, like he wasn't already regretting his decision to rush this fraternity. "Yes, sir. I do see her."

"Great. So listen. Get the waffles. Chocolate chip –"

"Okay, Dustin, I think he gets it. Let's get out of the car now, okay?" Mike interjected, poking his head over into the front seat.

"Go ahead, I just wanna make sure Frank gets the waffles. So listen, Frank." Dustin began again. Mike let out a frustrated groan and opened the car door, the rest of the party following suit.

The party was in full swing, full of people dancing and drinking in the enormous living room. Strobe lights flickered above them, matching the cadence of the music playing so loud El could feel it vibrate through her body. To the left, there was a kitchen with a long island, littered with beer bottles and red cups. El looked up to her brother, slightly confused as what they should be doing next. Dustin, the actual fraternity brother, hadn't caught up with them to guide them anywhere. Will shrugged, clasping her hand in his and leading the way into the kitchen, maneuvering between the clusters of people chatting.

Will found some unopened beers in a cooler, handing one to El and Max. Mike followed suit, offering one to Lucas, who shook his head.

"Bruh, I already drank too much at the apartment. I have PT in the morning." Max broke out in laughter, shaking her head.

"Dude, that royally sucks. Come on, Stalker, let's dance." She grabbed Lucas' hand, and dragged him off towards the living room, his eyes wide in surprise, and disappeared into the crowd.

"Well then. She works fast." Will commented to El, chuckling.

El smirked in agreement. From the moment El met Max earlier that afternoon, it was apparent how loud, straightforward, and unapologetically herself Max was. She was exactly the kind of person El needed in her life. Someone who knew what she wanted and took action.

Mike stood across from her, fingering with the tab on his beer. He chewed on his lip a bit, taking in a breath so deep that El noticed his chest rise considerably despite the dim lighting. El was a little concerned, since he seemed so upbeat and confident on the way to the party, but she wasn't sure what to say.

At the apartment and on the car ride over to the party, Mike had dominated the conversation. Sure, Lucas and (later on) Dustin would fill in at times, and together the three had a great back and forth that kept El and Max in fits of laughter, but Mike led the stories with a certain poise, almost cocky.

The Mike across from her, however, seemed a little unsure of himself, never taking his eyes off the tab he was playing with.

Ah, well. If anything, it was an opportunity to stare at him.

It wasn't the best lighting; the strobe lights were way too busy for her eyes, and while the kitchen area was much more calm, it had that lackluster feel similar of those restaurants that keep their lights lower for "ambience."

Yet Mike looked so good. His pale skin made it easier to see his features, from his long lashes, his freckles, how his shirt clung to his biceps in a way that made El shiver a little if she thought about it too much.

He took a swig of his beer, and finally looked up. He locked eyes with El's, catching her by surprise. Her breath hitched, and she felt panicked. Had he noticed her staring the whole time? That would be mortifying. She was about to implode into herself just from the thought of it.

But then he smiled at her, the panic transitioning into relief, and even more quickly into anxiety.

 _Say something. Anything!_

"Mike. Beer pong. Outside. Let's go!"

Yeah, that was a little too Neanderthal-esque to come out of El's mouth.

Dustin slapped Mike on the back excitedly. He had finally caught up with them- but not before somehow losing his shirt, his tie now around his head and hanging off the left side of his face. Though they had all arrived together with equal healthy buzzes, Dustin had obviously surpassed them all in the ten minutes they were separated. Mike looked Dustin up and down, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Uh, Dustin, I don't know–" Mike began, but Dustin clumsily placed an index finger against Mike's lips, silencing him.

"You need to protect my dignity and honor, and I have a reputation to upkeep." Mike protested again, stammering out excuses, but it was too late. Dustin had already started pushing him along, leaving El and Will to their own devices.

El let out a heavy sigh, having lost her window of opportunity. Will had finished his beer in the meantime, and was searching for another beverage.

"El, this punch looks more up your alley than that beer." He said to her, examining the liquid that poured into his cup from a Fetco labelled "Hunch Punch." Taking a quick sip to confirm, he shook his head in approval and handed it to El. Switching her beer can with the cup of punch, she tasted the drink. Oh, that's much better. She downed the cup with a few gulps, and immediately put her cup back under the spigot, filling it up.

"Whoa, Ellie." Will laughed. "Take it easy. That stuff is going get you drunk so quick."

"That's the point." She said pointedly. "I need to loosen up and quick."

Will raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And why is that?"

"Because I'm too uptight. Because I need to talk more. Because I need to stop overthinking things and just do things." She sighed, taking a sip from her punch. "I still haven't even had my first kiss, you know."

"And what, you plan on doing that tonight? You don't want it to be special at all? Just some rando?"

El shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do that night. But she spent years doing nothing, and if she knew one thing for sure, is that she wanted to finally just do something. She just wasn't sure what that looked like.

"I don't know, but it's embarrassing. I think I just want to get it over with. Could be special, but at this point…" She trailed off, not sure what else she wanted to say. She was constantly in her own head, never really voicing her thoughts.

Maybe if she just kept drinking, she'd know what to say. There was a pause, as Will searched for a response.

"Well…. Could you at least pace yourself? Make sure you don't get so drunk that you can't remember anything, and… this year, I'll help you find someone, okay? Someone super cute and super special." El cringed a little.

"I don't know if I want someone special. I just want to have fun, okay?" Will considered that for another moment.

"Okay. I can deal with that." Will clinked his beer with her cup, glancing behind her.

To be perfectly honest, El didn't really want to kiss some random person. She definitely, specifically wanted to kiss Will's raven-haired friend. But she didn't really know much about him, if he was even available to be kissed. And, feeling a blush rush to her cheeks, she realized that asking about Mike now following the conversation she just had with her step-brother could potentially be embarrassing. It could be best to wait, and maybe Will wouldn't realize that those two thoughts were connected… except Will kept glancing behind her. And wait, is that a smirk?

She turned around slightly, unsure what to look for. Her answer, turned out to be pretty obvious.

She first noticed the intensity of his eyes. Then, his tattooed olive skin, and a trimmed beard that accentuated his pearly white teeth. Dark, dark brown hair pulled up into a small bun. He was with a group in the corner, dancing amongst themselves, their hips gyrating to the music. He was swaying along, laughing with them, but his gaze never strayed from Will.

Yeah, she had maybe five minutes left to figure her shit out.

Turning back to Will, she swallowed her pride and asked.

"So, what's the deal with Mike?"

Will tossed his head back in laughter. "I was wondering when you'd ask that."

"Wait, why?" El knew why. She asked too soon. If only a hole would just open from the ground so she could jump in already and just disappear. Will smirked at her.

"Mike is very much single. But he's not what you're looking for."

Well, she didn't expect that response. El crinkled her nose, confused.

"You just told me you want to just hook up with someone. Mike's not someone you do that with." Will explained. El just listened, crossing her arms. It wasn't really what she wanted to hear.

"In fact, I think you guys might be too compatible." Will said as an afterthought. El felt a knot in her stomach, but she couldn't tell how she felt about this new information.

"I barely know him, though." Will shrugged, pursing his lips.

"I don't know, El… But listen, that guy? Yowza. I need to go talk to him before he, like, leaves, or thinks I'm straight or something."

"Please, go for it. And then tell me about it later so I can live vicariously." El laughed, teasing him a little. She was also thankful that he dropped the subject of Mike's availability. He could always tell when she was feeling uncomfortable, never pushing her. Will just grinned at her, giving her a slight wink, and took off.

* * *

While El may have felt uncomfortable when they first arrived and spread out, she felt much less out of place now. She enjoyed being alone with her thoughts, and just waded through the crowds and around the house, content with just being an observer. In fact, she's learned a lot of things, both good and bad:

1\. Frat parties are much more low-key than she thought.

At least, this one is. On the way over, Dustin mentioned themed nights, and she imagined something more like Animal House, with toga parties and the like. This seemed like a regular house party, in a much fancier looking house and a lot more amenities.

2\. There's a lot of sexual activity.

Everywhere she goes, there's couples devouring each other, on the dance floor, in corners, on the furniture. She's accidentally walked on people having sex in the bathroom (not her fault) and in a bedroom (probably her fault). She's not sure if this is more or less sex than she originally believed frat parties would include.

3\. Everything is… sticky.

El definitely didn't expect the house to be this gross, though if she thought about it, it made sense. 60 or so boys did live there year-round. But they did invite girls over, and they must have some sort of cleaning staff. Didn't Dustin mention having to scrub the entire house for a week?

There isn't a lot of space to sit or lean against that isn't taken by someone already, and the spaces that are available? El was a little scared to touch them with her bare skin. She could feel her flats stick to the ground in some areas. And why did certain parts of the house smell like Vienna sausages?

She needed some fresh air.

Passing by the kitchen, she filled up her cup a third time with Hunch Punch before heading outside, partially to keep her buzz going, but mostly because it was just yummy.

The fraternity house's backyard was much more impressive than the inside had been. The freshly cut lawn enclosed around a huge pool, the incandescent lights from the bottom of the pool shimmering through the water. There were a few tiki huts, and strings of paper lanterns hung around the entire yard.

Everywhere she looked she saw crowds of people, yet none of her friends. At least there was more room to breathe and hang out. She found a lounge chair that was free and sat down. Maybe if she stayed in one place someone she knew would find her.

"Waiting for someone?" She heard a voice above her. She looked up into a pair of Ray-Bans and perfectly coiffed hair.

"Um, no. All my friends are…. Busy." She replied. The boy with the large hair nodded, but she couldn't decipher his expression in the dark and those sunglasses.

"Right. That's okay. Do you know any of the brothers here? If not, you could join me and my buddies." He said. He was trying to make her feel comfortable, welcomed. She liked that.

"Yeah. Dustin? I don't know his last name. I just met him today." She explained. The boy placed the sunglasses onto his head, disappearing into his hair. He looked downright excited, eyes wide and mouth wide open.

"Whaaaaaat? Dustin's my little! I'm on my way to him right now." He held up a stack of cups in one hand and two ping pong balls in the other. "Come with me!" He gestured his head to the side and started walking in that direction. El shot up and hurried along beside him.

"Dustin's your little…. What?" El asked, confused.

"Little brother." He explained. "It's a Greek thing. When new pledges come in, the Brothers pair them off with whoever is compatible with them. Dustin and I hit it off on Day One. It was an easy pick."

They stopped at a table under a Tiki Hut across the pool from where they originally met. Dustin and Mike sat on the table, each holding a six pack.

"Dustin! Found your lady friend wandering around… what was your name?" El looked at him.

"Oh, my name is El." He flashed a toothy grin at her.

"Name's Steve. Steve Harrington." He introduced himself as he placed out the cups in some sort of pattern.

"Ellie! Where's Will?!" Dustin exclaimed, a little too loud. His eyes were bloodshot from all the alcohol. Mike grinned at her, head falling to the side, his eyes boring into hers.

"Oh, he, um, met a guy." She hastily explained, all too aware of Mike's gaze. Dustin let out a howl in support. Steve raised an eyebrow at Dustin's reaction, and shook his head.

"Okay, guys. Teams." He commanded, working through the six packs and pouring them into the cups.

"Great. Okay… What are we playing?" El asked, slightly perplexed by the arrangement on the table. She was vaguely familiar with the concept, but again, only from movies and hearsay. Dustin snapped his head at her.

"El. Babe, nooo. You don't know how to play beer pong." Dustin gasped, stating the obvious, looking heartbroken at the revelation. El felt very self-conscious all of a sudden. Mike slid off the table and walked up to El, hands shuffling in his pockets.

"Uh, I'll teach you if you like. Be on the same team." He suggested, bouncing his knees slightly.

Teaming up with Mike? Sounds good to her.

Mike took her by the wrist and pulled her to the side of the table. He explained the rules to her, requesting that Dustin and Steve begin, then with Mike taking a turn, so she could see. It was straightforward enough. Get the ball into a cup. Dustin or Steve drinks it. If they get all the cups first, they win.

El's turn came up, and she tossed the ball. Her aim wasn't bad, the ball reaching the cups, but it managed to bounce off three different ones before Steve caught it in mid-air. Ugh. Her stomach suddenly dropped, and she felt discouraged. She wasn't off to a great start.

Mike must've noticed her change in demeanor, because she felt his hand snake over her waist. She was incredibly aware of how close they were, and she wasn't sure how she worked up the courage to look at his face when it was so dangerously close to hers, but there it was, sporting a Cheshire grin and twinkling eyes.

"That was great, El! You'll get it in next time." He exclaimed. El softened at the reaction, not feeling as incompetent anymore. She could totally do this.

The game continued, and El found that she was about as good as the other boys at the table. Sometimes, she'd get a cup, sometimes she wouldn't, but it didn't matter. Mike seemed excited no matter what she did. When she started to feel a little sick from all the beer (being small and inexperienced definitely had its challenges), Mike valiantly volunteered to drink her share of cups.

With four cups on Steve and Dustin's side left, El tossed another ball. To her surprise, Mike and El were ahead, and it was important that El show Mike how awesome she was at this game, despite it being her first time. It landed in one of the cups but hit the inner side of it and started to spin, not falling entirely into the cup. Dustin took two fingers and pulled out the ball, to El's dismay.

"Hey, what're you doing?" She asked, incredulously. She and Mike were so close to winning! Dustin shrugged.

"House rules." El didn't understand what that meant, and it definitely sounded made up. Her head snapped towards Mike for answers, hoping that he'd call foul. Mike just agreed with Dustin, however sheepish.

"Yeah, it's a thing."

Apparently, it was a thing and El would just have to live with it.

Her chance came quickly, though.

Dustin tossed over the ball next, landing in a cup, but similar to El's turn, it didn't fall in – not completely. She seized the opportunity, and pulled out the ball with her fingers, her chest swelling with satisfaction.

"Wait no! That's a foul!" Dustin yelled. Once again, El was confused and annoyed. Dustin had to be making this up.

"El, listen, traditional house rules are guys finger and girls blow, okay? That's how it is. You can't take the ball out that way, you'd have to blow it out." He elaborated. El continued to be confused and annoyed.

"What do you mean, girls blow? That's so gross. And sexist." El snapped. She felt Mike's hand leave her waist, which didn't help her mood at all.

"Okay, Dustin, to be fair-" Mike started, gesturing with his hands. "We never established house rules! And she's new, so could we just let it go and move on?"

Dustin looked ready with a comeback, but something else distracted him, rendering him speechless.

A couple walked up to the table.

"Alright, what's going on over here?" The guy asked. There was something about him that El didn't like – maybe it was the cocky way he spoke, or his body language, how he seemed to take up as much as space as possible.

Maybe it was the girl on his arm, and the way she slowly sized everyone up at the table, not caring whether she was being discrete.

Or maybe it was the way Dustin, Steve and Mike all seized up, uncomfortable with the addition to their group.

"Troy." Steve greeted, the first to speak up, looking at the guy first, then turning to the girl.

"Audra. Didn't, uh, realize you'd be coming tonight." She laughed, shaking her head.

"And miss seeing all you guys? No way. We had so much fun last year." Audra continued, looking at each of the boys, her eyes landing on Mike last.

"Right, Mike?"

The laughing, confident Mike was gone once again, replaced by that Mike she observed in the kitchen. Fumbling with his fingers, looking anywhere but at Audra. Or El, for that matter.

"I guess it was fun." He replied, noncommittally.

What did that even mean? For the umpteenth time that night, El was uncomfortable, but this was the first time that she felt like she was intruding on something she shouldn't be a part of.

"Well, good luck with the beer pong." Troy concluded this horrendously awkward visit with an obnoxious chuckle, elbowing Dustin in the side playfully before walking away, Audra trailing behind.

"Well, that sucked." Dustin stated loudly, scratching his head. Steve nodded, his eyes wide in shock.

"Yeah, what the hell was all that?" El asked, turning to face Mike. "Who was that?"

But Mike wasn't there. El turned in a circle, looking for him, for any sign of where he could have gone so quickly.

"Yeah… We can talk about it another day. When I'm not so shitfaced." Dustin sighed. "I need to lie down now. Game's over. Congrats, El." Steve slapped Dustin's back in support, then looked to El.

"My bedroom's upstairs and locked. We can get some water and sober up there, if you wanna join." Steve offered. El just shook her head.

"Uh, no. My roommate's here somewhere. I'll go find her." Dustin and Steve nodded.

"Remember, Frank the Pledge is on duty. He'll take you guys home." Dustin said, then paused, suddenly remembering something. "Wait… Did Frank ever come back with the waffles? That motherfucker…"

"Don't worry about it Dustin, I'm fine." She shushed him. It really was fine. She never expected that some poor freshman (her people, really!) was obliged to get a random, unaffiliated with his fraternity or Greek life in general, girl some chocolate chip waffles.

No matter how good they sounded right now. That awkward exchange sobered her up a little, but there still was a little too much alcohol in her system, and it would really be helpful to eat something.

El parted ways from the boys, and followed along the pool's edge. Reaching the door back into the house, she saw how utterly packed the house was. It was 1:00am, and people were still arriving from other parties and clubs all over the college town. She groaned, and turned back, scanning the yard again. Maybe Max and Lucas were out there, and she wouldn't have to go back inside to find them. Not right away.

"Hey. HEEEEEEEEY!" She heard a voice holler, and soon she could spot the source.

It was Frank the Pledge. He ran up to her, and dropped against the wall, wheezing and trying to catch his breath. He held one hand up, presenting her a Styrofoam container. She took it from him and opened it gingerly.

It was her chocolate chip waffles, complete with whipped cream (albeit mostly melted) and a large packet of maple syrup. Closing the container, she held it to her heart.

"Thank you, Frank."

Frank the Pledge was still on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm- so, so – sorry." He began the tale of his harrowing journey. "There's so- SO many people. Someone took the first waffles. Had – had to go back for more." He paused, lost in thought for a moment, then groaned loudly.

"Fuck, Dustin's going to be so pissed. I'm gonna get kicked out of this frat and it's not even Day Two yet."

"No, Frank, it'll be fine." She patted his head, unsure what to say to him. She felt that he was better off without all this trouble, but she could tell it was important to him. She'd figure something out.

"Uh, okay, so I'm friends with Dustin, right?" She said. Frank nodded. "So I'll just tell him you got me, like, double the waffles. Or something. It'll be fine. Just relax, I'll talk to him tomorrow." She reassured him. Drunk Dustin may be boisterous as all hell, but Sober Dustin in the morning would be easier to talk with. Frank's shoulders deflated, much more relaxed.

"Thanks."

"Great. Anyway, I think I want to go home soon? I'm just looking for my friend, Max? The redhead? Have you seen her?" She asked. Maybe she wouldn't have to go looking for her after all.

But Frank shook his head.

"I did see your other friend though. The crazy tall kid?"

El's heartbeat began to race. Mike? She could go find Mike.

"Sure. Mike."

"He went out that way." Frank pointed to a gate in the fence, towards the back of the yard. "That leads out to the lake. It's not really open to the general public, but yeah. He's out there." El nodded, thanking him once again, and walked out towards the fence, waffles in hand.

* * *

She finds Mike sitting out on the dock. There aren't any lights out here, but she can see his silhouette in the moonlight.

He doesn't notice her until she plops down next to him, but doesn't say anything. She takes out her container of waffles, and offers to food. He looks into the container, and grabs one. The waffles are lukewarm and the whipped cream soaked through, but they still taste pretty good and their empty stomachs are grateful for the contribution.

Mike is halfway through his waffle before he turns to El.

"Sorry. About earlier." He chuckled a little. "I, uh, I don't really deal with conflict well."

She nodded, letting him know she understood.

El could relate to that sentiment. By the time she was adopted, she was exhausted with conflict. She was lucky that she was adopted into such a great family, but she'd be lying if she didn't admit that half the reason she didn't date in high school, let alone make friends, was so she could just be alone. Alone meant you didn't have to deal with consequences, or outcomes, or worry about other people's issues.

"Could I ask what happened?" She asked. "I know we just met, and it's, like, none of my business, but…"

"What, with Audra?" Mike clarified.

"Yeah."

"Right. Well…" Mike let out a sigh. "So Audra and I dated last year. She, uh, had a different idea of what that meant."

"So… she thought you were having fun?" Dissatisfied with the answer, she pressed on.

"Right. 'Fun.'" Mike repeated, using air quotes as he said the word. "I don't know. Uh, we were both having fun, I guess. We just had different ideas of what that was."

Mike clearly wasn't going to elaborate any further, so she decided to drop it. She took another bite of her waffle, opting to enjoy the silence instead.

"I just... ugh. She thought it was simple, and straightforward… but she made it so, so, so complicated, you know?"

El didn't know. But she nodded along anyway.

"I just wish I have something that was actually simple, or straightforward. And it doesn't have to be, like, this huge romance, you know? But just something where we can just have fun. Enjoy it for what it is."

El couldn't hold back her laugh. Mike turned her, amused, and partly confused, with her reaction.

"What? What's wrong with what I said?"

"Nothing, nothing." She replied, continuing to chuckle a bit. "It's just that, earlier, I said something similar to Will earlier."

There was no turning back now that El put that out there. El pushed away any lingering feelings of reluctance and met his gaze.

"Yeah? What exactly?" He asked, scooching closer to her, his eyes never wavering from hers. Okay, yeah, they were playing some kind of game. There was something going on here, going on between them. And it was absolutely exhilarating. She just had to power through and not turn into a stammering mess.

"Well, mostly that I wanted to have fun this year. Stop overthinking things, and just start doing things." El said, deliberately skipping over a few parts. He didn't need to know about that. Her voice was clear and pointed, her words a lot more suggestive and confident than how she felt.

"Sounds like we have a lot in common." Mike said, his voice a lot huskier than before, his lips a lot closer than before. El gulped, feeling the tension in the air. The anticipation alone was killing her; if this didn't resolve in next few seconds, she might just throw herself into the lake.

Instead, she pulled herself together one last time, and smirked at him.

"Yeah, I guess we do."

He bit his lip, letting it roll out slowly.

She wasn't going to make it. She wasn't even going to jump into the lake. She was just going to melt into a puddle and roll off the edge.

Thankfully, after whatever last minute contemplation, he closed the last few inches between them.

The kiss is soft and cautious, barely grazing her lips, as if he's still unsure this is what she wants. When she doesn't back away, he moves in again, this kiss firmer than that last. He takes his other hand, the one not busy with her own, and places it on the nape of her neck, wrapping his fingers into her hair. El gasps a little at the sensation, and Mike takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss, though still gentle with her.

He tasted like a mixture of waffles, vanilla and beer, a combination which never found to be so damn delicious until right this very moment. She relished every sensation; his fingers scratching the back of her neck, his tongue twirling around hers, strands of his hair tickling her eyelashes. She was thankful for the soft breeze, ventilating the rest of her body so she wouldn't overheat.

El doesn't know how long they were on the dock. It could have been a few minutes, or a few hours, but eventually an exhausted, frazzled Frank the Pledge found them, bashfully stating he had orders to take them all home. El doesn't want the night to end, but her head is pounding, and Mike's developing major bags under his eyes, so with one more chaste kiss, they pull themselves up and follow Frank the Pledge to his car. Mike passes out almost instantly in the backseat, and El amuses herself with the thought of Frank the Pledge having to drag him up to his apartment.

El is at her dormroom door before she realizes, triumphantly, that Mike never noticed it was her first kiss.

And for the first time ever, she feels confident.


End file.
